What Adam Haynes did with 5 months, 4 seasons, and lots of paint
We love supporting our local community, which is why the Cairn Crew is thrilled to unveil an incredible mural by local Bend artist Adam Haynes that now graces the wall of our headquarters. Thanks to Adam, even if we can’t be up in the mountains every day, we can now at least look at them!
“This four-panel painting measures 16' wide and is by far the largest full-color piece I've ever attempted. It portrays many of my favorite parts of Central Oregon, with each panel focusing on a different season and time of day. All told, it took five months, mostly because I have a tendency to take on too many projects, but also because it took many, many hours of painting. It feels great to see it up on the wall!” - Adam Haynes
If you enjoy the outdoors, chances are you’ve come across Adam’s work. He’s paid the bills as a commercial illustrator for such clients as Nike 6.0, ESPN, Patagonia, Fuel TV, Timberland, Quiksilver, Adidas, and local beermaker Deschutes Brewery - just to name a few. Now a freelance illustrator in Bend, Oregon, he’s returned to his roots and works from home creating art for outdoor-based projects.
We sat down with Adam to get the story behind this piece.
Where did this idea begin?
I got a call out of the blue from Rob, one of Cairn’s cofounders. He had seen some of my work and was interested in commissioning a mural for their headquarters, not only to decorate the space but also to inspire the team. My normal medium is pen and ink mixed with Photoshop, but I occasionally get to do painting, which is one of my favorite things to do. Rob came to me with a project I’ve been wanting to do for a while: a painting that embodied Central Oregon but wasn’t necessarily a straight up landscape. When Rob introduced himself I was introduced to Cairn. I could tell right away that I wanted to do a project for Cairn because of the attitude of the employees and owners and the vibe of the place. That resonated a lot with me, and I remember thinking, “This is a place that I would be proud to have a painting up at.” I really enjoy working with like-minded folks--people who make it a priority to get outdoors along with working hard. The vibe matches my own, and it was a good fit.
What’s the story behind the painting?
One of my favorite things about Central Oregon is the seasons. We live by the seasons here; we change our sports depending on the weather--mountain biking in the summer, snowboarding in the winter, fishing in the spring and fall. I wanted to show all of that in one painting. Once we decided on four panels, it was a no-brainer—to make each panel a season and focus on different times of the day at the same time. So the far left panel is a Winter scene, with dawn colors. As you move to the right, it goes through the day until it’s featuring evening light in the far right panel - the Fall image.
And it took you 5 months to do it all?
Yeah. I mean, I’m a commercial illustrator for my day job, so I was working on a bunch of other projects at the same time. It probably took about 2 solid months of painting to do the whole thing.
That’s a lot of work!
It was funny going back and looking at the time lapse. The painting is so big that I had to do it on the inside of my garage door. It’s in a separate building from my house so it’s as cold or as hot as the seasons are. Sometimes it’s so hot in my garage that I’m basically in shorts, and other times I’m in a full down getup. So I kind of went through the seasons while I was painting it, too.
Tell us about a few of your favorite projects.
It's hard for me to pick and choose. Along the lines of Cairn, I did a large mural up at Evo in Seattle last year as well and that was one of my favorites. I haven’t worked large-scale very much--it can be difficult because I have a tendency to work pretty small. So anytime I work large it pushes my own limits. The Red Chair beer label (for Deschutes Brewery) is another local project I enjoyed. I’ve done the Dirksen Derby posters for the past six years, which is one of my favorite local events put on by one of my good buddies. I don’t get a ton of local projects, and I’m pretty choosy about the ones I do, so it’s special when I get to do something close to home.
Where does your inspiration come from?
Pretty much anything that surrounds me. I have the most trouble getting inspired when I’ve been inside for days on end. Drawing itself is pretty much an indoor activity, so I have to balance it with outdoor activity. Often times what helps jumpstart my creativity is to go take a walk so I can clear my head and let my mind go. A lot of my best ideas have come from just stepping away from the drawing board and getting some fresh air. It’s a vital part of my process.
Are you a Cairn subscriber?
I am now!
Thanks, Adam!
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Learn more about Adam Haynes
https://www.instagram.com/stickfort/